Contact structure for three-position relay mechanisms



ct. 10, 1939. o. s. FIELD 2,176,020

CONTACT STRUCTURE FOR THREE-POSITION RELAY MECHANISMS Filed Aug. 2o,1957 -FIGLI. F162.

.1/ 34 INVE NTOR Patented Oct. 10, 1939 Urrea stares PATENT OFFICE OscarS. Field, Rochester, N. Y., assigner to General Railway Signal N. Y.

use on a searchlight type light signal for use on railroads.

In practice it has been found that a larger number than usual of contactlingers is desirable in many situations and with this requirement inmind it is proposed, in accordance with the pres- U ent invention, toprovide a contact arrangement ich is compact and economical, both ofmatel space, and still is very durable and deable in operation. With theabove and other objects in view, it is 15 proposed to provide a contactarrangement, for a three-position light signal, which provides eightsets of frontandback contact lingers.

-Eurther objects, purposes and characteristic eftures of the presentinvention will appear as he description progresses, reference being madeto the accompanying drawing showing, in a wholly diagrammatic manner,and in no manner whr tsoever in a limiting sense, one orm which 'the.nvention can assume,

in the drawing:

Fig, i is a front elevational view of one form of the invention, asapplied to a searchlight type signal.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the invention as shown in Fig. 1,

3 is a sectional View on the line 3-3 of 2, viewed .in the direction ofthe arrows.

l is a plan view of one of the xed contact carrying members,

5 is a plan view of one of the movable Contact carrying members.

6 is a sectional view on line 6 5 oi Fig. l, flowed in the direction ofthe arrows.

The invention has been illustrated as applied to a searchlight typelight signal as emplo-yed on spreads and oi the general type such asshown in the patent to O. S. Field, No 1,835,150, si ed December i5,l93l .ne manner in which the motor element of the s l' ht signaloperates the contacts is oi the same ,sj oral m as shown in the 0. S.Field applicai No. 7,565, filed February 2l, 1935.

any

able from the above referred to disclosures,

Referring now to the drawing, and first to Fig.

1, there is here shown a portion of a light signal Company, Rochester,

1937, Serial N0. 160,077

to which the present invention is applied. A portion of the motorelement is shown at I, and this motor element rocks a shaft on aknife-edge bearing 2, to rock a sector 3 carrying operating arms i and5, one at each end of the sector, for rocking centering weights 6 and 'Iabouttheir pivots, such as the pivot 3 of the weight 6, where- .y toactuate contacts,

In describing this invention, only one-half of the contact arrangementhas been shown in the drawing, since it is a symmetrical arrangement,and the side to the left of the center line 9 of Fig. l is identicalwith the parts shown to the right of this center line. Accordingly, adescription of the portions shown at the right clearly should suflicefor the disclosure of the complete arrangement.

Below the centering weights 6 and 'i is a contact holding member, madeof insulating mateiai, and preferably molded, as of Bakelite, or thelike, and comprising a thin, flat, plate-like member Iii of a generaloval form, having rigidly attached thereto at each of its ends, aforwardly projecting head member I I, only the head member at the rightend of plate Ill being shown in the drawing.

Referring now to Fig. 2, it can be seen how the counterweights and theplate and head members are carried. A frame member comprising twoportions I2 and I3, are bolted together as by bolts lil, to carry thecentering weights, as 6, on the pivot 8, there being adjustable frontand back stops I5 and It for the centering weight E and like stops Iland IS for the centering weight l.

Connected to the frame member I3 by means of screws IS, is the plateill, together with its integral, forwardly projecting heads Il, thescrew It passing through a boss 20 on each head and on its inner endreceiving a nut 2|, thereby securely fastening each contact carryingmember, as I0, to the frame of the signal and positioning them beneaththe centering weights 6 and l.

Each centering weight, as the centering weight 6, has fastened to it acontact operating arm Z2 which is molded, into, or otherwise rigidlyattached to a movable contact carrying head This head 23 carries twospaced plate like members oi insulating material, molded into the head23 or otherwise rigidly fastened thereto. Each of the contact carryingplate members 24 carries two movable contacts 25, of low resistanceconducting material, formed in the shape of a V, and fastened to itscarrier by projecting through the carrier and being riveted over on therear side, as at 25, to thereby fasten itself and a soldering ear 21, tothe carrier.

lIhus each centering weight, when moved from its shown position againstits back stop, to a position against its front stop, upon the motorelement being energized in the proper direction, operates to move a head23, and with it the four spaced, separate, movable contact members 25.

Carried by each of the heads one on each side thereof, is a xed contactcarrying member 28, of insulating material, and of a triangular form, asshown in Fig. 4, at the upper end oi which are carried two spaced iixedcontact members each comprising a receiving cup 29, carrying a contactblock 30 of silver impregnated carbon or the like. Each cup 29 isriveted, or otherwise suitably fastened, to its carrier 28, and hasconnected to it a soldering ear 3|,

As best seen in Figs. 2 and 3, each fixed contact carrying member 28 ispivoted at its lower point, through `an opening 32 therein, on a pin,having a shouldered portion 33 and a reduced portion 34, and held, asshown in Fig. 3, between the head member and a side plate 35 ofinsulating material, having a grooved out portion 36 for accommodatingthe lower end of the carrier 28. Each of the side plates, there beingone on each side of each head is bolted to its head by two bolts andnuts 31, each of these bolts 31 serving as a connection post for one ofthe movable con-- tact members 25, a wire, as 38, connecting a solderingear 21 with the inner end of a bolt 31, with an external lead in wire,such as 39, connected to the outer end of the bolt 31. Thus it can beseen that each of the four movable contact members, on each of the headsH, is connected to one of the four bolts or terminal posts 3l' fasteningthe two side plates 35 to the head I.

Each of the fixed contact carrying plates 28 is perforated, as at 4G, toreceive a pin 4| passing through the two plates on the head Il, andprojecting beyond the outer sides of each plate, and carrying lockingnuts 42 at one end, and a head 13 at the other end. Between the head 43and a follower 44 a biasing spring 45 is loosely received on the pin 4|.The pin 4| is loosely received in the openings 40 in the carriers 28 andin holes 46 in the head With the arrangement as above described, it canbe readily seen that the single pin 4|, together with its single biasingspring 45, operates to bias beth of the carriers 28 inwardly toward eachother and toward the movable contacts 25.

Carried on the plate IU, as best seen in Fig. 1, are two connectionposts 41 and 48, for one of the heads il, and 59 and 6D for the otherhead, and two other connection posts 49 and 513, each one serving forboth of the heads l The two inner fixed contact members 29 for each headl l, as shown in Fig. l, are connected respectively by flexible leads 5|and 52, and 51 and 58, to the terminal posts 41 and 48, and posts 59 and65. The two outer fixed contact members 29 are connected through theirsoldering ears 3|, and flexible leads 53 and 54 passing through tubes 55and 5G, and 6| and 62, to the terminal posts 49 and 5D.

As described above, the four movable contact members are electricallyconnected, each to one of the posts 31, with the outer end of each ofthese posts 31 carrying a lead in wire 39, there of course being four ofthese lead in wires as shown best in Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 1, thereare four lead in wires 63, 54, 65 and 5G connected tothe terminal posts59, 41, 6U and 48 respectively.

It can thus be seen that there are six independent circuits controlledby the contact arrangement as described above, two of which circuitseach includes two front and two back contacts, which circuits passthrough the terminal posts 49 and 55. The other four circuits eachinclude one front and one back contact and each of these circuitsincludes one of the terminal posts 41, 49, 59 and 80 and one of theterminal posts 31.

While the particular arrangement of circuits and the devices which theycontrol, are not an essential part of the present invention, and thecontact arrangement above described is not limited to any particulararrangement, it is contemplated in one form of this invention to havethe two circuits passing through the terminal posts 49 and 50 controltwo separate red indications, with two yellow indications and two greenindications controlled respectively by the circuits passing through theterminal posts 41-48, and 59-55. Thus, when the motor element isdeenergized, the contacts are made up as shown in Fig. l, to completethe two circuits for the red indications; when the motor element isenergized to liit counterweight 5, the two yellow indication circuitswill be closed, while when the motor element is energized to liftcounterweight 1, the two green indication circuits will be closed.

It will be obvious that other combinations oi connections may be usedwhereby different combinations of contact operations may be provided,such for instance as dependent front and back contacts and the like asare well known in the signalling art.

Thus, to briefly summarize the structure as disclosed above, it will beseen that the structure involved comprises two counterweights, one orthe other of which can be raised from its biased position, at any onetime, to thereby move four separate and independent movable contactmembers to lcause two movable contacts to make contact with two fixedcontacts and to make two other movable contacts to break connection withtwo other fixed contacts, the centering weight 5 operating the fourmovable contacts carried by the head 23, while the other centeringweight operates a corresponding set of movable contacts when the motorelement is energized in the opposite direction.

Thus there has been provided a contact arrangement having eight separatepairs of contacts, each comprising a front and a back contact member.

Furthermore, an arrangement has been provided whereby two xed contactscooperate with two movable contacts, with the nxed contacts supported bya single pivot pin, as 33, whereby to permit a rocking movement as wellas a pivoting movement of the carrier 28 to permit the contact pressureto equalize in amount and prevent any possibility of one of the two pairof contacts making up while the other might still be spaced.

Furthermore, in combination with this pivoted xed Contact carrier member28 is a single spring and a single pin, respectively 45 and 4|, whichoperate tobias two carriers 28 inwardly, thus making a very simple andcompact and economical structure for the number of contacts involved.

The above rather speciiic description of one form which this inventioncan assume, is given by way of example only and is not intended in anymanner whatsoever, in a limiting sense. It is to be understood that itis intended this application should cover all such modications, al-

ternatives, substitutions, and variations as may appear useful ordesirable, and as come within the spirit and the scope of the presentinvention.

Having described my invention by disclosing one specific embodimentthereof, I now claim:

l. In a contact organization for use in light signals and the like, incombination, arrectangular support, two contact fingers pivoted one ateach of two opposite sides of the support, a single elastic meansbiasing both ngers inwardly toward each other and against the sides ofthe support, a iixed contact on each finger, a movable contact carrier,a movable contact on the carrier and positioned to cooperate with thetwo xed contacts, and means for operating the contact carrier relativelyto the fixed contacts.

2. In a contact organization, in combination, a supporting block ofgenerally rectangular outline, a pivot pin on each of two opposite Sidesof the block, a fixed contact carrying plate of insulating material ateach side of the block and each having one of its ends pivoted on one ofsaid pins, means biasing the carrying plates inwardly toward each otherand against the sides of the block, two separate, spaced iixed contactsat the free end of each carrying plate, four movable contacts forcooperating with the four fixed contacts respectively, and means foroperating the movable contacts.

3. In a contact organization, in combination, a supporting block ofgenerally rectangular outline, a pivot pin on each of two opposite sidesof the block, a iixed Contact carrying plate of insulating material ateach side of the block and each having one of its ends pivoted on one ofsaid pins, means biasing the carrying plates inwardly toward each otherand against the sides of the block, two separate, spaced fixed contactsat the free end of each carrying plate, a movable contact carrying head,two head plates of insulating material carried by the head, and twospaced movable contacts on each head plate for cooperating,respectively, with the two fixed contacts on each said carrying plate,and means for moving the carrying head relatively to said block.

4. In a contact organization, in combination, a supporting block ofgenerally rectangular out line, a pivot pin on each of two oppositesides of the block, a fixed contact carrying plate, of insulatingmaterial, at each side of the block, and each having one oi its endspivoted on one of said pins, two separate, spaced fixed contacts at thefree end of each carrying plate, four movable contacts for cooperatingwith the four fixed contacts respectively, means for operating themovable contacts, and means for biasing the carrying plates inwardlytoward each other and against the sides of the block, including, a rodpassing loosely through the block and both of the plates and projecting,at each end, beyond the plates, a head at each end of the rod, and

compressible means about the rod and between one of the heads and one ofthe plates.

5. In a contact organization, in combination, a supporting block ofgenerally rectangular outline, a pivot pin on each of two opposite sidesof the block, a fixed contact carrying plate of insulating material ateach side of the block, and each having one of its ends pivoted on oneof said pins, two separate, spaced fixed contacts at the free end ofeach carrying plate, a movable contact carrying head, two head plates ofinsulating material carried by the head, two spaced movable contacts oneach head plate for cooperating, respectively, with the two fixedcontacts on each said carrying plate, means for moving the carrying headrelatively to said block, and means for biasing the carrying platesinwardly toward each other and against the sides of the block,including, a rod passing loosely through the block and both of theplates and projecting at each end beyond the plates, a head at each endof the rod, and compressible means about the rod and between one of theheads and one of the plates.

6. In a contact organization, in combination, a support block, a fixedcontact carrying plate of insulating material, two spaced xed contactsconnected to the plate at one end thereof, the other end of the platebeing tapered, a grooved side plate, two bolts connecting the plate tothe block with the groove facing toward the block, a pivot pin having ashouldered portion spanning the opening formed by the groove and theside of the block and a reduced portion received in the side plate, thetapered end of the carrying plate being loosely received on theshouldered portion of the pivot pin to form a universal joint, a movablehead of insulating material, two spaced movable contact members carriedby the head and so spaced as to cooperate with the two spaced fixedcontacts, and means to operate the said head.

7. In a contact organization, in combination, a support block, a fixedcontact carrying plate of insulating material, two spaced xed contactsconnected to the plate at one end thereof with the other end of theplate tapered, a grooved side plate, two bolts connecting the side plateto the block with the groove facing toward the block, a pivot pin havinga shouldered portion spanning the opening formed by the groove and theside of the block and a reduced portion received in the side plate, thetapered end of the carrying plate being loosely received on theshouldered portion of the pivot pin to form a universal joint, a movablehead of insulating material, two spaced movable contact members carriedby the head and so spaced as to cooperate with the two spaced Xedcontacts, flexible conducting means connecting the movable contacts tothe two bolts, respectively, and means to opcrate the said head.

OSCAR S. FIELD.

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